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An Armchair Tour of the Livermore Water Reclamation Plant

Over six million gallons of wastewater flow into the Livermore Water Reclamation Plant each day from throughout Livermore. Ninety percent of the wastewater comes from area homes. The rest comes from local industries and commercial businesses. The Livermore Water Reclamation Plant mimics Mother Nature's purification systems, only in a compact and controlled space.

Take this brief virtual tour of the Livermore Water Reclamation Plant. Or arrange to visit the plant by clicking here for plant tour information.

Primary Treatment

Primary treatment separates more than 95% of heavy solids and more than 50% of floating solids from incoming wastewater.

Screw pumps use the principle developed by Archimedes in 210 B.C. to elevate wastewater and allow for gravitational flow through the treatment plant.

Air is bubbled into the wastewater in pre-aeration tanks to increase dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen reduces odors and helps solids settle out. Sand and gravel are removed during this stage.

In the primary sedimentation tanks, water jets and skimmers remove floating particles from the surface. Blades called flights scrape heavy solids from the bottom. These heavy solids, called sludge, are pumped to digesters for processing. The primary treatment processes have been covered for odor control.